


Opportunities

by Laura81



Category: American Actor RPF
Genre: F/F
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-12-13
Updated: 2014-12-13
Packaged: 2018-03-01 06:56:39
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 21,702
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2763863
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Laura81/pseuds/Laura81
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Originally written in 2006. A sad little fangirl fantasy that started off as a one-shot but by the encouragement of some other Kate fans years back ended up being extended.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This fiction is of an adult nature and is lesbian involving a real person so if you don't like that then why are you even looking at this to begin with? Go away.  
> None of this is real, ever happened or will ever happen. It is simply for fun and not meant to disparage or harm the actress.

I walked in the auditorium just in time to hear her name announced. Applause erupted all around me. I could hear the sound of shoes walking onto the stage, probably high heels. Again, loud applause and this time screams of anticipation. I cursed myself in my head heavily for my tardiness and strode into the crowd of people gently trying to elbow my way through. 

I was very late. I should have been here 2 hours ago, but my fucking plane was delayed and there was nothing I could do about it. I was lucky to make it here to hear her speak. 

Finally I was gaining some ground through the throng of people when a security guard met me in the middle. 

“Can I help you ma’am,” he asked. 

‘Yeah, get the fuck out of my way’ I thought, but instead held up my gold pass which showed him quite clearly why I was making my way to the front of the stage. Gold pass meant a front row seat and nothing short of an earthquake was going to stop me from getting to that seat. The security guard nodded and then proceeded to help me work my way through the crowd to my seat. 

“Thanks.” I said, feeling like the bitch I was for wanting to strike him down a second before. 

The crowd around me was still clapping with the occasional whistle thrown in. The guard nearly had me to my seat when I heard the high heels click onto the stage before me. And there she was. 

She was gorgeous. Dressed in black pants, a white shirt and a black blazer. Her auburn hair had blonde highlights scattered through out and she was wearing that beautiful smile. 

I was probably only 20 feet from her and gaining ground quickly to take my seat which would put me about 10 feet away from her. I saw her look at the security guard escorting me and then she looked directly at me, that smile directed at me. Eye contact with me. I don’t know how the hell I kept walking then, but a few seconds later I was at my seat and sat down heavily. 

The 30 seconds or so before that I was cursing that I was late and now I was thrilled that I was late. My habitual tardiness had finally paid off. I had certainly never expected it to and it wasn’t even my fault this time, but all the same I was grateful. That beautiful woman noticed me because I was late, smiled at me because I was late, made eye contact with me because I was late. And in that last second of eye contact she raised her eyebrow at me slightly as if in silent question and then it was broken. She was looking somewhere else and I was sitting down. 

I know what she saw that made her eyebrow raise though; desire. To look at her and not have desire shine in my eyes would be impossible. After all, how could someone not look at Kate Mulgrew and feel desire? 

She spoke for about an hour. Answering questions, telling stories about the filming of Voyager, talking about her character, Captain Kathryn Janeway. I took it all in, but what I took in even more was the fact that she kept looking at me! At first I thought I was going crazy. I mean, fair enough that she took notice of me when I first came in, I was sort of obvious, but for the rest of her time onstage I was quiet, never asking one question. So why did she keep looking at me? Occasionally giving me a little half smile. I told myself maybe she was doing the same to others in the front row, so I observed her carefully, but this was not the case. 

As her time onstage was ending she thanked the crowd, turned to leave and looked me right in the eye. After watching her for an hour I’m sure my eyes were absolutely swimming in desire and when the object of that desire looked into them I’m sure she saw it. In her eyes I saw curiosity, which in itself perplexed me. Then she was gone. Offstage and would now be preparing to sign autographs for the crowd. 

My gold pass and I would be one of the first to get one of these and I was directed to the line. I was fifth. And I was nervous as hell. No way would I ever let that show though. So I took a deep breath, gathered myself into my best self-assured frame of mind and waited for my turn. 

I watched her smile at the first four as they approached the small table, ask for their name to autograph their photo, and ask if they had a nice time. Then it was my turn. I strode cockily to the small table. She smiled at me and again captured my eyes with hers. This time there would be no breaking of eye contact unless she were the one to break it. I wanted to find out exactly what was going on here, if anything. 

“Nice jacket,” she said, inclining her head slightly, but still maintaining eye contact. 

That was the first thing she said to me, not “and what’s your name” like the rest. This intrigued me greatly. And again I saw that curiosity in her eyes, it was so blatant, yet I was unsure just what it was she was curious about. 

“Thanks,” I replied, giving her my best smile and letting the desire I feel for her drip from my eyes like tears. I was infinitely glad at that moment that I had decided to keep my black leather jacket on. “You look stunning.”

She raised her eyebrow at me slightly, still smiling and…yes, I’m sure I saw it ever so slightly, she was blushing. Finally she asked the question I was expecting. 

“What’s your name?”

“Madison.”

“Madison,” she repeated, “beautiful name,” she commented, still maintaining eye contact. 

God I loved the way my name sounded on her lips. That deep, husky voice saying my name. It was the sexiest voice I’d ever heard. 

“It is when you say it,” I replied. 

I almost couldn’t believe I said that, but what the hell. I was probably never going to see this woman again in my life. If she didn’t like what I was saying, she could have me thrown out. 

Besides, she smiled wider when I said that, and raised her eyebrow at me again, this time her eyes obviously conveying surprise and…amusement. She broke eye contact then though and looked down to the photo to sign it. I took the few moment to study her. She had her black blazer off and damn if that white shirt she was wearing didn’t fit her quite nicely. It displayed her very well. 

I glanced at what she was writing and noticed she had written down one half of the photo…a lot more than an autograph. Now there was curiosity in my eyes. 

After a few more moments she looked back up at me and smiled, looking quite amused. “Thanks for coming, I’m sure I’ll see you again,” she said to me, her voice very near a purr. 

That distracted me to high heaven and I just nodded and took the photo wondering what the hell was going on here. Not that I minded, I was enjoying myself after all. 

I took about five steps away from the table walking towards the exit and glanced back. She was watching me. Then the next person in line was there and she again put on her performance. I still had not looked at what she had written and felt like I needed a drink before I did. 

I sat down at the hotel bar and ordered a screwdriver. The photo was now in a folder in my backpack and I was fishing it out as the waiter put down my drink. I took the photo out and laid it on the bar; then I took a long drink. 

The bar was mostly empty, so I needn’t worry about anyone reading the message on the photo before I did. I felt vaguely nervous about what it said and more then a little anxious. Finally I read it. 

Madison,

I find you intriguing.  
Come to room 1208 at 7pm.  
I’ll be waiting. 

Kate.

Trying to process this was not as easy as one might think. They are simple words, yet my brain was having trouble taking them in. I slammed back the rest of my screwdriver and immediately asked the bartender for another. 

Though my brain was having a hard time figuring out the message my body obviously had its own ideas because for no apparent reason I began to feel aroused. I tried to reign that in. Besides, the message didn’t say she wanted to sleep with me for godsake. It was just a simple invitation…to her hotel room! Kate Mulgrew’s hotel room! 

I finished my second drink and went outside. I needed air and I didn’t really need to be getting drunk. It was 5pm now…2 hours until…until what my mind screamed at me. 

I had no answer for that. I took a few deep breaths and tried to center myself. There was probably a reasonable explanation for this. Granted I was flirting with her, acting like a cocky, egotistical, self-assured female Casanova, but surely that wasn’t going to work on her! Kate Mulgrew wasn’t even a lesbian! Had never once shown an interest in women. 

‘Oh, and how do you know that’ my mind taunted me. My mind had a good point…how did I know that? If the woman did have an interest it sure as hell wasn’t going to be published was it? She was married for christs sake. Even if she did have an interest in women, she surely would not be interested in a stupid obsessed fan! 

‘Why not?’ my evil mind asked me. Well, because…she just wouldn’t be! I tried to rationalize. 

None of this was helping though. The facts were Kate Mulgrew wanted to see me at 7pm in her hotel room. So, I better act like that woman she finds so intriguing, not some confused, bumbling idiot. Besides that persona was certainly a part of me, a big part and if she liked it then that’s exactly what she would get. 

An hour later I was in my hotel room ready to meet with her. I had showered and changed into a simple outfit. Black jeans, black belt, black shirt. And the leather jacket of course. It wasn’t flash, but it was the personality she liked and it showed off my body well. 

I had already decided not to be on time. Being on time certainly would not fit with what she finds so “intriguing”. I wasn’t going to be too late though, ten minutes would suffice. Enough time to make her start wondering since I’m sure she is quite used to everyone being where she wants when she wants them. So, for the next hour I just relaxed listening to some music. I had decided I was not going to be nervous about this, nor overly anxious. It was I who would have the control. 

At 7:10pm I knocked on her door. She answered it almost immediately. 

I had forgotten that she would be much shorter then myself since I hadn’t actually ever been standing next to her before. I allowed my eyes to rake up and down her body appreciatively. And fuck was there a lot to appreciate. 

Her hair was down and she was wearing a blue silk dress. I wasn’t entirely sure it was silk, but the way it clung to her body, framing it in all of its beauty, it has to be silk. I’d find out soon enough. 

I watched her take in my appearance and when her eyes finally settled on mine, I saw it; desire. She desired me. I desired her. It was clear now why she wanted me here and what she wanted I was going to give her. She was staring up at me, into my eyes and I knew the next move was mine. 

It was not hard to decide what to do. 

I smiled at her seductively and took a step towards her. She took a step back. I took another step and she did the same. I was now inside her hotel room and I kicked the door shut behind me, never breaking eye contact. I continued to step towards her and she continued to step back, building the anticipation. In another few steps she was backed up against the wall and she gasped. It was one of the most delicious sounds I have ever heard. 

In another two steps I was directly in front of her, looking down into her burning blue eyes. We stood there like that for maybe a minute, nothing being said, nothing had been said since I came here. Nothing needed to be said. Her eyes spoke volumes. Her lips parted slightly and I was on her. 

I wrapped one arm around her waist, my other arm going behind her head and grabbing the back of her neck possessively. I pushed my body into hers and brought my lips down to her lips. 

I kissed her passionately, my tongue seeking entrance and being granted it immediately. I quickly found she was just as passionate as her tongue danced with mine. Then she was putting her arms around my neck and wrapping her legs around my waist. I wrapped my arms under her ass in response, easily supporting her. I forced myself to break the kiss and look around for the bed, wanting to rip this dress off her and devour her. 

As I broke the kiss she moaned in protest but her lips quickly found my neck and began to suck. I could feel her tongue on my skin. I found the bed and stumbled over to it, my gorgeous package firmly attached to me. Finally I was at the bed and we fell onto it. She was now underneath me, her legs still wrapped around my waist, the muscles of her thighs working to pull me closer to her. 

I ran my hands down the sides of her body, caressing down her legs and going under her dress. The dress was most definitely silk and her skin felt even softer. I felt intoxicated touching this woman. Never had I ever thought I would indulge in this pleasure with this woman. Certainly I had the fantasies and the dreams, but I never for one second considered it could be a reality. Hell, maybe it was a dream. Whatever it was I was going to enjoy it. I banished all other thoughts from my head and concentrated on what was being offered beneath me. 

I continued to run my hands up the sides of her body, pulling the dress up as I went along. I wanted it off, now. She lifted her hips as the dress slid further up her body along with my hands. I watched as every inch of flesh was revealed to me. The soft thighs, the short, trimmed patch of auburn hair, the creamy white stomach, the achingly sweet breasts and erect nipples and then I was slipping it over her head and tossing it aside. 

I was looking into her eyes again, wanting to be absolutely sure this was what she wanted. I saw no hesitation, only unadulterated desire shining in her blue eyes. I was captivated, nearly drowning in those beautiful pools of need. Then I felt her arms reach around my neck and pull me down to kiss her. The kiss was full of desire and need, demanding and uncompromising. Our tongues duelled for dominance, her hands running up and down my back, urging me on as my hands again began to travel down the sides of her body. 

Beneath me she was squirming, trying to get my hands to go to where I was not yet letting them. The need in her was overwhelming and I couldn’t help but wonder why it was so strong. It was time to reassert my control though, if I was sure of one thing it was that this woman wanted to be taken and I was more than happy to oblige. 

I grabbed her arms and shoved them above her head restraining her. I held both small wrists in one hand and reached for the silk belt only inches away on the night stand which obviously belonged to Kate’s robe which was draped over a chair further away. Now why did she have that so close? As if I needed to wonder, this was exactly what she wanted. I forcefully, but gently secured her wrists to the wooden bed head. She gasped as I secured them tightly, but it was a gasp of anticipation and I smiled wickedly down at her. 

She watched me closely as I un-buttoned my shirt and let it fall off my shoulders revealing my own breasts as I had no bra on. Her mouth took on a slight grin. I got off her and stood up on the floor taking my pants off. Her eyes were glued to me, watching every move I made. She still didn’t speak; it just wasn’t necessary. 

I kicked my pants aside and slowly slid my underwear off. I looked over at her, laying naked on the bed, arms secured above her head and was completely taken in with the vision she offered. This woman may be 50 years old, but she was still a vision of perfection. My mouth watered just looking at her. My gaze travelled to her face and she had one eyebrow raised slightly at me. 

“Beautiful,” I told her, my voice deeper than normal with desire. 

She then gave me one of those killer smiles and I went to the bed and sat atop her. Our eyes connected as I ran my hands up and down her chest. I wouldn’t let them yet touch her breasts and I could see she was starting to get impatient. Good. 

I bent over her and kissed her neck, letting my tongue caress her skin, my teeth gently biting. Then I adored her ears with the same attention, she was panting slightly and I knew I had just found one of her erogenous zones. I spent a bit more time there before trailing my mouth down her chest, between her breasts and to her stomach where I bestowed many kisses before moving back up her chest, past her breasts yet again and to her mouth. Kissing her was heaven. There are more descriptive words I could use, but no words would really do it justice. 

Her scent is so intoxicating. She smells so goddamn good. 

Then I was kissing up her left arm to her wrist where I kissed gently before moving to her fingers and gently sucking the tips of each one, letting my tongue softly caress them. She was now moaning openly and very near begging. I enjoyed this silence we had, but before I would fully take her, she was going to beg. 

I went back to her mouth, kissing her hard, shoving my tongue into her mouth, not waiting for permission this time. Kate was far from offering any resistance though. This woman was wrapping me in an erotic fog I had never felt so strongly before. I moaned into her mouth and her hips bucked against me. 

I kissed my way down her throat and now let my hands softly cup her breasts. I licked the area between them and squeezed them both gently. Kate moaned and then I finally took one into my mouth. I sucked the nipple deeply into my mouth, my tongue dancing across it quickly as I gently held it between my teeth. 

“Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhh,” Kate groaned deeply. 

I took the other nipple between my fingers and manipulated it. I wanted them both to get equal attention. Her breasts were like nectar from the Gods, I’m sure no other breasts had ever felt so good to my mouth. 

As I am sucking one of her breasts my right hand drifts down her stomach to the triangle of hair. I run my fingers lightly over it and Kate opens her legs wide in response. I know she is so ready, but I am not quite ready to give her what she wants yet. I let my hand go lower and very lightly touch her soft lips there. The touch is so light I know Kate hardly feels it, but when she does feel it, she tries to shove herself onto my hand by thrusting her hips up at me. I move my hand away and I hear her groan in frustration. I stop my feasting on her breast, look up at her and give her my best evil smile. 

“If you really want this Kate, you know what you have to say,” I tell her, the evil smile still firmly planted on my face. 

Kate looks at me in frustration but still says nothing. I again let my hand drift over her heated center, ever so slightly letting my fingers touch her. 

Kate has a defiant look on her face, but I know she will cave in. I decide to speed things up a bit as I am now dying to take her as well. I slide further down her body, my tongue trailing a hot path straight down her middle and then through her pubic hair. I stop just before my tongue reaches her crease and I hear her groan in frustration. I lift my head and look down at what is being offered. She is visibly wet and I get hot shivers knowing I caused this. I want nothing more than to shove my tongue inside her, but somehow I manage to show constraint. 

Slowly I let one finger slide between her wet folds. Kate moans in appreciation and I withdraw the finger. Then I use both hands to gently part her and blow softly onto her. Her hips again thrust up to me and I chuckle with wicked intent. Then I let my tongue ever so slightly touch her wetness. If it wasn’t for blowing cold air on her first she would not have even felt it, but she did and it drove her mad and finally to breaking point. 

“Please,” she breathed out huskily. 

That was all I was waiting for. I finally lowered my mouth to her now dripping wetness and kissed her there softly. Kate groaned loudly and put her legs on my shoulders, getting ready to wrap herself around my back and drive my face into her wetness. I needed no such encouragement now though. I wanted her just as much as she wanted me to take her. 

I licked deeply into her fiery, wet folds and finally tasted Kate Mulgrew. If tasting her breasts was nectar of the Gods, this was pure ambrosia. The stuff the Gods guarded and hid away to keep only for themselves. She tasted so fucking good, she smelled so fucking good. I let my tongue attack her without mercy. Licking up and down her center, occasionally letting my tongue caress over her clit, and then dive into the essence of her, letting her hot, wet muscles surround my tongue, trying to draw me further inside her. 

Kate was writhing and moaning beneath me in ecstasy. Hearing her urged me on more, I wanted to give this woman everything. 

Finally I let my tongue draw up to her clit and slowly swirl my tongue around it, starting her journey to release. Her legs were still on my shoulders and I felt the muscles slightly tense up more. I held her with my left arm and brought my right hand down to her center. There I let my finger gently play at the opening of her. Lightly swirling my finger around her opening while my tongue made the same motions on her clit. Her moans increased in volume along with my ministrations. 

Then I sucked her clit into my mouth and drove two fingers inside her. She screamed out in pleasure and surprise. She accepted my fingers easily though and I finally felt Kate Mulgrew’s hot wetness around my fingers. I started a gentle motion moving in and out of her while my tongue continued its torturous assault on her throbbing clit. And I swear I could practically feel her entire center throbbing around my mouth and fingers. It is the sweetest, most erotic thing I have ever felt. 

Kate is moaning louder above me, and I know it won’t be long until she’s there. I slightly increase the speed of my thrusts and the pressure of my tongue. After a minute I began to feel her walls start to tighten against my fingers and Kate is now doing more then just moaning loudly. 

“Oh god, yes. Ahhhh…Madison…you…feel…so…good,” she gasps out between pants. This drives me wild. Hearing this woman say my name in the heat of passion. 

I suddenly increase my thrusts further, driving as deeply into her as I can get and I feel her muscles start to constrict around my fingers. Her legs now squeeze tightly against my back and I hear her tied up hands thrashing against the bed head. I have to hold her tightly with my left arm so she doesn’t thrust herself off the bed. Or worse thrust me off her in her enthusiasm. 

“Oh fuck yes Madison! Yes, yes…..MADISON!!!,” Kate literally screams out above me. Her hot walls are contracting around my fingers as I thrust deeply inside her. She is thrusting hard against my face, her wetness coating me. I take every drop I can get. Relishing every thrust, every scream of my name. As my tongue continues to assail her clit I avert my eyes to look up at her. She is trying to look down at me and our eyes meet. She is breath-taking like this. Totally wild and erotic. Any constraints she has placed on herself gone. The look and feeling in her eyes I will never forget. 

As her muscle spasms start to slightly decrease so does the pressure of my tongue on her clit and the force of my thrusts. As the last of her orgasms goes through her I am now gently moving inside her only ever so slightly, just enough to enhance the last traces of the orgasm. My tongue has now stilled and I am softly kissing her wetness. When her body finally drops in exhausting I slowly remove my fingers and kiss my way back up her body to her lips. I reach above us and un-tie her wrists, her arms immediately embrace me, holding me tightly. This time I kiss her slowly and passionately and she responds in kind. It is a kiss of satisfaction. 

I settle down beside her and take her into my arms holding her. Wanting to imprint this moment in my head forever. Here I am, just a normal woman, having just made love to Kate Mulgrew and now holding the exhausted, spent woman safely in my arms.


	2. Chapter 2

My stomach twisted as I watched Kate Mulgrew on stage. I tried to stay in the shadows, desperately not wanting to be noticed by her. I never wanted to see her again. No, that’s not right. I never wanted her to see me again. I wanted to see her all the time. 

It had been three months since our encounter at the convention in California. Three months that had changed me more then any other time period in my life. I had seen her before now since then. I never wanted to, but I couldn’t help myself. She drew me like a moth to a flame. Unlike the moth though I didn’t want to get burned, not again. Once was enough. The scars still hadn’t healed and I doubted they ever would. 

I never intended to get burned the first time. It was just supposed to have been a one off encounter, end of story. No emotional attachments. How could I have let myself feel something for her? 

I didn’t even intend for it to happen. She invited me to her room, she took the first step damn it! She used me! 

‘Get a fucking grip!’ I shouted silently to myself. I couldn’t blame her. I wouldn’t, I didn’t. I knew how it was going to play out. I was just too caught up in the emotion to realize that it might possibly hurt after the euphoria wore off. 

I cursed myself everyday that I let the whole thing get to me like this. I had loved ‘em and left ‘em before, why the hell should she be any different? If anything I knew without a doubt that would be what my time with her was. Love her and then leave her. Okay, she was the one that actually left that morning, but the gist was the same. You just didn’t get to love celebrities and keep them, at least not married ones. 

I had since heard rumours from a good friend of mine who knew a friend of Kate’s that her marriage with Tim wasn’t going too well in the last three months. I didn’t believe it though, especially not after tonight. I saw them onstage together. He was all over her. 

Did I wish it never happened? No. I wouldn’t trade that night for anything, but I did wish, very strongly, that I could change my feelings. I had tried for three months now without success though. I did try staying away from her, but since that time I had gone to another convention besides this one and two showings of Tea At Five. Yeah, I know, I’m a sucker for punishment. 

This convention was different though. My line of work actually brought me to this one. I worked as a personal bodyguard for celebrities. Extra security detail was hired for this convention because some sicko fan had recently made death threats to Kate. I didn’t know what the nature of the death threats were, you were generally not told. This time there were five of us guarding Kate from afar. Well, two were positioned at the front of the stage, along with the normal security for a convention, another two were milling about the crowd and I brought up the rear, at my own request. They had wanted to put me down the front at the stage. 

I didn’t want Kate to see me though. I didn’t want her hurt either. It infuriated me that someone dare to threaten her and I would be happy to put a bullet in anyone that tried to hurt her if that’s what it came to, but I didn’t want a face to face meeting with her. She needn’t know I was here. I would look out for her from a distance and she would never have to know. 

I stood there watching her. She was beautiful as always. In a simple black dress that left little to the imagination. Or maybe it was just me, I knew that body intimately after all. My mind was momentarily transported back to that night; the touches, the smells, the complete intoxication of loving her. We made love six times that night and I remembered every nuance of her. She was insatiable.

I took a deep breath, wishing sometimes, just sometimes that I could forget. 

As I was watching her I noticed out of my peripheral vision someone enter the auditorium. It was a man about 5’10”, long black hair, beard, probably around 35 years old dressed in blue jeans and a white tshirt. He made the hairs on the back of my neck stand on end and oddly enough he looked familiar. I shifted my attention away from Kate and over to him, subtly. 

I stood very still, just watching him, I didn’t want him to notice me. Unlike the movies portray I was not dressed to stand out. I was in a pair of black cotton pants, a dark blue shirt, my customary black leather jacket and a simple pair of black boots, my blonde hair tied back in a ponytail, I looked like anyone else at the convention. Of course underneath my coat was a pair of handcuffs attached to my belt and a gun. Not what the average guest was carrying. 

He stood there watching Kate and fidgeting. He made me nervous. For the life of me I could not place why he looked so familiar, but I was sure I had seen him before, possibly even met him. He moved to walk forward into the crowd more, towards the stage. He wouldn’t be able to get near the stage right now since she was currently up there, but he was certainly getting within close enough distance to get a shot off at her if he had a gun. Which there was no way in hell he should have if the security at the door had done their job properly. I wasn’t going to trust that though and I couldn’t fight my gut instinct. 

I looked for the two positioned at the stage, but they were paying no attention to me, nor the guy making his way to the front of the standing crowd. They were watching Kate Mulgrew, captivated. How the hell was that going to protect her though? I searched quickly for the other two milling about in the crowd, spotted one, but she too was only looking at Kate. I couldn’t even find the other one! After this was over I was going to kill all four of them. This was ridiculous and of course I had to come out of my hiding spot now. 

By now he was well into the crowd and I quickly shoved by way through following him. 15 feet away I saw him reach into his coat. 12 feet away when he withdrew his arm from his coat. My mind was now screaming at me. This just wasn’t right and I knew something terrible was about to happen. 8 feet away when the young woman next to him loudly gasped and screamed “gun, he’s got a gun!” 5 feet away when the room seemed to stand still as he took aim. 

“Everybody down!” I screamed and jumped him from behind. 

I heard the gun fire once just as my body impacted his and I dragged him to the floor. 

‘Too late!!!’ my mind screamed at me. 

I tackled him to the floor and slammed his head once into the floor to stun him. Once was obviously not enough however because he tried to reach around and grab me. I moved my position slightly so that my left knee was digging painfully into his back and this time I punched the fucker and then slammed his head into the floor. That was enough to stun him long enough to get my cuffs and restrain him with them. Once I had them his arms firmly secured behind his back I yanked him up to a standing position to usher him out of the room. 

By now the other four guards were arriving as well as police. ‘Where the hell were these fucking people two minutes ago!’ 

The three arriving police officers took him from me and the other four guards gathered around me to ask me what had happened. I heard them all talking at once. 

“Where’d he come from?”

“I didn’t see anything.” 

“Great job, Madison.” 

“You probably saved Kate’s life.”

Kate. My mind focused on that one word. Had I been quick enough? The shot had went off, I heard it clearly. I looked up from where my eyes were resting on the floor into a sea of faces. A lot of people in the crowd were looking at me in…I don’t know, confusion I guess. Many terrified and a whole lot of people were making their way out of the auditorium. 

I looked toward the stage and saw a group of police clustered around someone. I stopped breathing. Then I heard her voice. 

“I said I’m fine! How many times must I tell you before you believe me!” 

I resumed breathing. 

She emerged from the cluster of police and looked in my direction. I couldn’t stop it if I had wanted to. We locked eyes. We were 50 feet from each other, but the connection was made. She stopped moving and stared at me. Recognition, concern, fear and something else showing on her face that I wouldn’t let myself think about. 

I saw a police officer bend over her whispering something to her. Probably that she needed to leave, now. Then the curtain behind her moved and someone else came rushing out. Kate and I were still staring at each other so I didn’t see who it was until he was standing beside her. Tim, her husband. Then he stepped in front of her and the connection was broken. 

“Madison, the police need to speak with you. They are waiting for you outside.” 

It was one of the other guards. I wanted to tell him to piss off, but Kate was now being led away by her husband. As she was disappearing behind the curtain she looked back though and the connection was made for another instant before this time the curtain cut it off and she was gone; again. 

“Madison!”

“What?!” I snarled at the shit for brains guard, finally turning around to face him. 

He took a step back. 

“The police need to speak with you. They’re waiting outside for you and will take you down to the station with them.”

‘Fucking great’, I mumbled under my breath. 

“What?” the shit for brains guard asked. 

“Fine, I’m coming.” I replied curtly. 

 

I was numbly going through what the police asked me, I just wanted to get the hell out of here. I had remembered who the perp was on the drive over here and they were now grilling me for everything I knew about Rodney Layton. It wasn’t much. 

He used to work for my boss, left the agency not long after I had come back from my first meeting with Kate three months ago. I had only worked with him a couple of times. He seemed competent and intelligent, that’s about all I knew. His leaving was no big deal. This type of business had a high turn over rate. His past had explained how he was able to get in with a gun though. He just pretended to be with the company, still had his old ID and it wasn’t questioned. 

“Thanks for your time Madison, we’ll call you if we have anymore questions.”

Finally they were letting me leave. I quickly made my way to the door and stopped dead. Kate was there at the front desk. 

“I just want to know if she’s okay.” She was asking with carefully hid annoyance. 

The officer behind the large desk must have heard my approach because he turned around and looked at me, smiled, turned back to Kate and said, “well, here she is, you can ask her for yourself.” 

Kate swung her head up to look at me, but this time I averted my eyes before we again made that “connection”. I was looking at her, but not into her eyes, never into her eyes again. I noticed her face immediately softened when she saw me and she put on a tentative smile. 

I inclined my head to acknowledge her while my mind was screaming at me to run out of there. She took a small step towards me, I didn’t move. She had someone with her, probably her personal assistant or something, who was watching everything as well as the officer. ‘Could this day get any fucking better!’

“I’m fine.” I answered quickly. 

“I’m relieved to hear that.” Kate replied in that deep, breathy way she has about her. 

Just then someone else came in the doors at the bottom of the small flight of stairs leading to the outside. It was her husband. He made his way up the stairs and went to Kate. I needed to get out of here. 

“I’ve brought the jeep around.” He told her. 

Four police also then came inside the doors. 

“We should go now.” One yelled up, “the press are starting to arrive in droves.” 

Kate looked at me again, trying to make eye contact. I wouldn’t let it happen. 

Her voice was filled with tenderness as she said, “Thank you for saving my life.” 

“Just doing my job ma’am. You better get going with your husband before the press get too thick.” I replied coldly. 

I saw her flinch at my hard response. Then I made my way down the stairs and left the building. Thankfully for me the press had no idea who I was. I pushed my way through them to get to my motorcycle which was parked only a few paces away. I hadn’t let the police drive me here. 

I mounted the deep blue Ducati and looked back as I heard the doors to the police station open again and the crowd start asking frantic questions. Kate was sheltered from them by the escorting police and ushered through them and to her vehicle quickly. I cursed myself for watching her when she looked up and looked directly at me, catching my eyes. How did she do that! I saw pain and a deep vulnerability there and it cut me to my soul. She was then gently pushed into the waiting vehicle. 

I turned around and started my bike quickly, revving it hard and then I got the hell out of there. 

I drove hard and fast, wanting to put as much distance between her and myself as possible. I should go home, but I didn’t feel like it. So, I did what any sensible, emotionally drained woman does, I went to a bar. 

My friend, Alex, owned Ruins. Her partner and her had bought the place five years ago and had made a damn good business out of it. It was an extremely popular lesbian bar. 

I looked around as I entered and noticed the place was reasonably busy for a Sunday afternoon. God, afternoon, it was only 3pm. I walked directly to the bar ready to fill myself with as many screwdrivers as I could fit. 

“Madison!” Alex practically shouted. A few heads in the room turned, those that were close enough to hear over the pounding music that is. A few of the women gave me a smile, but I ignored them. 

“Alex, must you shout.” I asked her rhetorically. Of course she must. 

“I just heard about the attempted murder of Kate Mulgrew! They said one of the privately hired bodyguards had prevented it! It was you wasn’t it!” she asked excitedly. 

I rolled my eyes and sat down at the bar. “Yes, it was me. Now can I please have a very large screwdriver, no ice.” 

“Shit! I knew it would have been you!” 

I knew she would have more questions, but I was so not in the mood to answer them right now. 

“Alex, I know you probably have a thousand questions going through that brain of yours, but do you think they could please wait until later. I just want to sit here and get drunk for now, okay?”

Alex gave me her ‘I’m not so sure it’s a good thing for you to get drunk right now look’. 

“Don’t give me that look Alex. If you don’t want to serve me, fine, I’ll go down the road, buy a bottle and serve myself at home if I have to.” 

Alex sighed at me, but relented and poured me one finally. “Fine, but don’t even try driving home. I have to leave in about five minutes to meet Sarah, but I’ll be back in a few hours. I’ll take you home then.” 

Alex really was a great friend. Lord knows somehow she always put up with me. 

“Thanks, Alex.” I replied, giving her a smile. 

Alex left me in peace, or should I say misery. I couldn’t believe everything that had happened today. Kate had nearly been killed! If I had been just a little slower…god, I couldn’t bare to think of her as dead. I drank my drink quickly trying to get that thought out of my head. Then I ordered another. 

I couldn’t believe how much her seeing me again had hurt. Having her recognize me instantly, and that goddamn connection that is always there between us! I just did not want to have these emotions, not for her. How could I have let myself feel this way for her? 

I knew I had hurt her when I told her I was only doing my job saving her life, but what was I supposed to say? Her husband had been standing right there for fuck’s sake! I threw back another one quickly as the thought that he was there with her now, comforting her, taunted me. 

I just wanted to stop thinking, stop feeling. No matter how much I berated myself, nothing I said or did would change the way things were and I just had to get used to that. So much easier said then done though. I started on my third drink and listened to the loud rock music, hoping to clear my head. 

oh yeah, we meet again  
it's like we never left  
time in between was just a dream  
did we leave this place?  
this crazy fog surrounds me  
you wrap your legs around me  
all I can do to try and breathe  
let me breathe so that I  
so we can go together!

Okay, that didn’t clear my head. All it made me do was slam back my third drink and demand a fourth quickly. God, those lyrics described exactly how I was feeling about Kate. 

I looked at the clock on the wall. 4pm. I had only been here an hour and already on my fourth drink. I needed to go home. I actually hated getting this drunk in public. I always ended up doing stupid things, like taking strange women home. I didn’t want to do that tonight. It was the middle of January, so it was going to be dark soon, maybe another hour of daylight left. 

I stood from the bar stool and my head swam slightly. Damn! I’d have to leave my bike here. I knew Alex would probably bring it over to my place later. She had before. She really was a great friend. ‘She also loves driving your bike’ I laughed to myself. 

I carefully walked out of the bar and hailed a taxi directing the driver to go the nearest liquor store. I quickly went in and bought a bottle of vodka, then I was on my way home. 

I fumbled with the key to the lock and finally let myself into my small apartment. It was nothing flash, but it served its purpose. A simple one bedroom type apartment. I walked down the short hallway to the living room, and turned right to go into the small kitchen. There I opened the bottle of vodka and poured a glass, light on the orange juice. 

The apartment did have one nice feature that I paid slightly more for then you would for apartments on the other side. It had a spectacular view of the Pacific Ocean. I stood at that window now and thought about Kate while drinking my vodka. 

I stood there for only ten minutes before I felt I was going to go insane. I needed to stop thinking about her, not dwell on her like some unrequited love. 

I went over to my old black leather couch and plopped myself down onto it with a sigh. This night was going to be hell. 

 

At 7pm I was on my eighth drink for the night and feeling pretty toasted. Unfortunately I found this did not help my feelings to go away as I had hoped. It just intensified them. So, I laid there on the leather couch thinking back to that night Kate and I had shared. Now, instead of wishing those memories would go away, I embraced them tightly and begged whatever powers that be that I could go back to that night, even if just for a few moments. 

Then someone knocked on the door. I decided to ignore them. If it was Alex, I would thank her properly tomorrow for bringing my bike back. I really just did not feel like speaking with anyone right now. Alex would have all the good intentions in the world, but I didn’t want good intentions right now. 

The knocking persisted. ‘Fucking hell!’ I said aloud and then tried once, unsuccessfully to stand. I thumped back down on the couch. This time I tried more carefully and succeeded. 

I had not turned a single light in the apartment on, only the glow from the moon giving some small illumination. I stumbled through the dark to the door, and it was stumbling. Twice I hit my knee on the coffee table before I got around it and then I fell into the wall in the hall before fumbling with the locks and finally opening the door ready to tell Alex, or whoever it was, to piss off. 

But it wasn’t Alex…it wasn’t anyone I could tell to piss off, even though I probably should. 

It was Kate Mulgrew. 

She was standing there, at my front door, looking about as uncertain and lost as a stranger. 

I didn’t know what to say. I had never expected this; never. I had never given her my address, not even my phone number. There hadn’t been time that morning. A thousand emotions assailed me. I so much wanted to take her into my arms and just hold her, yet at the same time I wanted to tell her to leave and to stay the hell out of my life. Neither could I do, I was terrified of the repercussions of both actions. 

Kate shifted on one foot and asked, “Can I please come in?” 

Her voice was strained and her eyes were pleading with me. I could not resist that. I stepped aside. 

“Yes.” I replied. 

I really needed to get my thoughts together. My mind was still spinning from the alcohol and I really wished I hadn’t drunk quite so much. 

I followed Kate inside, shutting the door behind me and locking it. I noticed she walked without her normal confident strut. She was as awkward as I was right now as I tried not to stumble behind her. ‘God I must look like shit!’

“Please, have a seat,” I said, gesturing towards the couch I had just vacated. 

She smiled at me tentatively and sat down. 

“Would you like something to drink?” I offered. 

“I don’t think that’s a good idea,” she answered, inclining her head slightly towards me, indicting she was fully aware of my condition. She was slightly grinning though. 

“You’re right, not a good idea,” I replied, grinning back. 

I took a few steps to the leather chair across from her and sat down. I needed to sit down. I still couldn’t believe Kate Mulgrew was in my living room. Surely I must be in some type of drunken haze. 

“Madison, I need to talk with you,” she said looking at me seriously, “do you think you’re capable of having a conversation right now?”

I laughed, I couldn’t help it. 

“Well, tomorrow would probably be better.”

“I won’t be here tomorrow.”

That brought me back to reality with a crashing thud, the smile dropping off my face and a hard expression coming into my eyes. 

“Of course you won’t. So, say what you came to say,” I said, looking at her with anger. 

She sat up straighter on the couch and looked at me with one of those “Janeway” I’m going to be serious as hell now looks and I swallowed involuntarily. 

“First I want to apologize for what happened between us three months ago. I never intended for it to happen….”

I interrupted her. 

“Obviously not the way you ran out of there that morning. It was apparent you regretted it, so if that’s what you’ve come to tell me, save your breath,” I lashed out at her. 

“I do NOT regret what happened between us!” she responded, angry for a moment herself at what I had said. 

I was shocked at her anger and it showed on my face. She continued. 

“I left that morning because I was afraid,” she admitted quietly, the anger gone and replaced with sadness…and regret. 

“The only thing I regret about our time together is my behaviour that morning.” She finished. 

We sat there in silence, both of us obviously struggling with our own thoughts and feelings. 

“Do you regret what happened between us?” she asked me, looking into my eyes with a vulnerability I had only glimpsed that afternoon. 

“No,” I said immediately, not breaking eye contact.

“Did you mean what you said at the station? That you were just doing your job saving my life?”

Oh god, she sounded so…hurt. I wanted to beat myself, but instead I sighed. 

“God no, Kate. I didn’t mean that at all. That was a very awkward situation at the station. Your husband was standing right there. What was I supposed to say? That when I saw the Rodney pull the gun I only wanted to put myself in between you and that gun? That when I heard the gun shot go off I felt as if the world had dropped out from under me?” I answered her, my feelings coming to the surface. I slammed my hand down on the coffee table in front of me. “I mean for fuck’s sake, that night we had together was just supposed to be a one off thing! I never expected in one night to fa…,” I stopped myself just in time. Kate noticed though. 

“To what?” she asked, trying to make eye contact again. 

“To develop such strong feelings for you,” I finished. 

Okay, that is not what I was going to say, but I sure as hell was not going to finish my original sentence! 

Kate took a deep breath and reached out to touch my hand, which was still on the coffee table. I didn’t pull away. Her touch was electric to me and I stared at her hand, wanting to grab it. After a few seconds she pulled her hand away. I felt cold. 

“Madison, there are a few things I want to tell you and I just want you to listen okay?” 

‘Oh god,’ I’m not sure why I thought that, but I did. Outwardly I just said, “Okay.” 

“Ever since our time together that night, I have never been the same. I didn’t know exactly what I was doing when I invited you up to my room that night, but I do know now. As you’ve no doubt heard Tim and I are having problems. We’ve both tried to keep a lid on things, but things are leaking out. What I know hasn’t leaked out, at least not yet anyway, is that I filed for divorce.”

She stopped for a minute then and took another deep breath, I was just staring at her in shock. 

“We had been having problems for a long time, but with me doing Tea and not seeing him much, they were able to be ignored. After my night with you, Tim and I were supposed to go away together for a couple weeks; it was a disaster. A month after we came back I filed for divorce. Tim is infuriated with me and wants us to work it out. That’s not what I want, nor what I am going to do. Madison, ever since our night together I have thought of you everyday. I may not have consciously known what I was doing when I invited you up to my room that night, but I know now. I’ve been trying to live up to other people’s expectations my entire life. I’ve had desires for women before, but I just couldn’t act on them. There was…is something about you that makes me want to put myself first and look at who I really am. At first I thought maybe my feelings for you were just because of that night and what you made me face up to inside myself, but it’s more then that. The feelings I have for you are entirely for you and you alone. No one else, man or woman, makes me feel like you do and I don’t feel for anyone else the way I feel for you.”

Kate stopped speaking then, caught my eyes and held them.

After staring at each other for what seemed an eternity, but was probably only a couple minutes, she turned away from me, quickly got up and walked to the window to stare out at the Ocean. 

I blew out a breath I hadn’t realized I was holding. ‘Say something you fuck wit!’ 

“You don’t believe me.”

Kate’s voice came to me, strained with hurt. 

“I want to believe you Kate, more then anything,” I replied, my own voice strained with emotion. 

I felt like such an asshole. Here was this beautiful, talented, intelligent, not to mention famous celebrity laying her heart bare before me and what was I doing? I was scared, terrified. What if I did believe her, as I so badly wanted to do, what would that mean? Could we actually try to be together? She was Kate Mulgrew for godsake! How could I be with her? 

I looked around my apartment, it was nice by my standards, by my friend’s standards even, but Kate Mulgrew? How could I give her anything? 

I looked back to Kate and she was staring at me. She looked…determined. Her eyes met mine; I felt…something emanating from her. Okay, that sounds stupid, but I have no idea how else to describe it. She maintained eye contact and walked to stand directly in front of me. Then she dropped to her knees…I was now going into shock. What the hell is she doing? 

My question was answered soon after it was formed. She leaned in between my legs, took my face in both her hands and kissed me. Her tongue sought entry and I granted it. God, she felt so good, to taste her again, to feel her. It was only at that moment that I realized I had wrapped my arms around her. Our tongues duelled hotly with each other, seeking, feeling. My shock dropped away and passion consumed me. My head felt like it was floating as she ran her hand down the front of my chest and cupped my breast in her hand.

I gasped in surprise at her actions, her mouth hungrily absorbing my surprise as she continued to consume me. Her hand travelled lower, yanked my shirt out of my pants, then ran her hand up to my breast without the barrier, her fingertips quickly manipulating my nipple. I moaned in pleasure, pushing my breast into her hand as my arms tightened my grip around her and pulled her into me roughly. 

I broke the kiss and ran my tongue down her throat where I sucked at her while my hands moved down her back to grasp her ass firmly. I yanked her up onto my lap and my mouth was wrenched away from her neck as I did so. I noticed I left a mark and smirked. Kate didn’t notice, her head was thrown back, her eyes closed, breathing heavily. Her chest was now level with my mouth as she sat on top of me, her legs spread with one leg on either side of both of mine. 

Fuck I wanted her; I wanted her so much I thought I was going to explode from the need inside me. She was here offering herself to me and I could not resist. 

I growled some primal need of desire and ripped her shirt off her, the buttons flying everywhere. She was wearing no bra. Seemed to be her normal behaviour when she was going to be around me. I had no objections. 

I felt Kate move slightly above me, I looked up at her and she was smirking down at me. Her eyes were heavy with desire, inviting me to do whatever I wanted to her. I set my mouth onto her breasts, devouring one and then the other. Never getting enough of either. Biting, sucking, nipping, tasting, flicking each nipple between my teeth while Kate writhed and moaned in pleasure above me. Her head swaying back and forth, her eyes half closed, yet occasionally looking down at me and watching. 

I knew I was still drunk, I knew I was being slightly rough with her in my passionate, drunken haze, but she didn’t seem to mind at all. 

As my mouth continued to worship her breasts my hands strayed down to her pants, unbuttoning them and unzipping them, sliding my hand inside to touch her. She was soaking wet. 

“See what you … do to me.” Kate moaned above me, her voice barely coherent as I caressed her wetness. 

Her saying that sent me over any edge of sanity I might have had left. I shoved two of my fingers inside her, as deep as they would go. In and out, her wet walls allowing the intrusion easily and gripping my fingers. 

Kate let out a slight scream of pleasure when I penetrated her and started to move with frantic speed up and down on my fingers. This was driving us both crazy in the most pleasurable way. 

Kate grabbed my hair, yanking my mouth from her breast and attached her lips to mine. Her tongue sliding against mine before our lips even touched. Here was Kate Mulgrew, pumping up and down on my fingers while devouring my mouth with such urgency and need I thought I must be dreaming, or passed out. 

I moved my thumb to caress her clit and she screamed out my name into my mouth before thrusting herself even harder on my fingers. It wasn’t going to take much to push her over the edge. I concentrated on the feel of her all around me. Her mouth devouring mine, her wetness devouring my fingers, her body melding against mine, it was so fucking intense. 

My thumb moved against her clit quickly and I started to feel her muscles contract around my fingers, her entire body tensing up against mine. 

“OhgodMadison,” she whispered into my mouth while continuing to kiss me and thrust onto my fingers. 

“Uh…..uh…….uh…..oh….ah….ah….oh……AHHHHHH FUUUCK….YEEEEES, MADISON!!!!!” Kate finally screamed, her muscles convulsing around my fingers violently. I let her set the pace for herself as she moved up and down on top of my fingers, decreasing her speed slowly, and drawing out her pleasure as much as possible. 

Then she kissed me one last time before clasping on top of me, my fingers still buried deep inside her. I wrapped my other arm around her and held her protectively as she buried her face into my neck. 

‘What are you doing?!’ my mind suddenly yelled at me. 

What was I doing? A split second later I had the answer and even though it frightened me I couldn’t deny the truth of it. I was loving this woman and I couldn’t stop myself if I wanted to. 

After a few minutes I slowly removed my fingers from inside her. Kate lifted her head from my shoulder and looked down at me. She had tears in her eyes, one dangerously close to falling. 

“Please tell me you believe me,” her voice pleaded with me. 

The tear started to slide down her cheek. I reached up and gently brushed it away, then I looked into her eyes. The emotion there hit me like a bullet. I have never in my life seen anyone look so vulnerable, so open. 

“I believe you.” I told her firmly, looking at her with all the love I felt for her. 

She smiled at me then. That gorgeous, perfect smile. You’d know the one if you’ve ever seen her before. Then she started to cry. She buried her face back into my neck and just cried. Not sure for the reason of the tears I wrapped my arms around her and held her. I let her cry for a minute or two before trying to talk to her. 

“Kate, honey, please, tell me what’s wrong?” I asked her while stroking her hair in what I hoped was a soothing way. 

She sniffed pathetically and looked at me, her eyes red and wet. I knew right then I would do anything within my power to make sure she never had reason to cry again. It was heartbreaking. 

“Honey?” She asked, smirking slightly and quirking her eyebrow. 

“Um…uh…uh…,” Kate stopped my incoherent sounds by putting her finger on my lips. 

“I like it,” She said, smiling that smile at me again. 

I was blushing but I didn’t even care as I normally would have. She had stopped crying and I was eternally grateful. 

“I’m not sure why I was crying,” she told me, deciding to answer my question. She slid off my lap then and cuddled up beside me, lifting my arm around her shoulders and resting her head above my breast on my chest. She was adorable. 

“A part of it is huge relief,” she continued, “relief that you believe me, that I am finally admitting who I am and what I want. That I’m not just living my life for other people anymore, living up only to their expectations. I’ve done that for so long I was almost afraid I didn’t know how to live any other way, but you made me want to change that.” 

She tightened her arm around me then, giving me a sort of half hug. I was very touched by her words. A part of me was still cautious though. I believed her yes, but she was talking about changing her entire life. I couldn’t help but wonder if she really knew what she was doing or if she was just caught up in emotion. I knew only too well what that was like. 

The cautious part of me was still whispering warnings in my ear. Asking me why I thought I could make this work? That she was straight, had been for 49 years of her life and the big thing, that she was married. Going to get a divorce yes, but still married. This is all going to be so hard and I was worried for her. And I’ll admit it, I was scared for myself; scared that she would realize how hard it was going to be and want out. Still, I couldn’t walk away from her. 

“Further to all that, I’ve just had a hard couple years as you probably know.” She told me, looking reflective. 

“I know you’ve had a very hard time with your mother’s illness lately.” 

Kate looked very sad then. “Yes, that has been harder on me then I ever could have imagined. Watching your own mother deteriorate like that…sometimes she doesn’t even know who I am,” Kate said, her eyes tearing up and her voice becoming rough with emotion. 

“For what it’s worth, you don’t have to deal with it on your own. I’ll be here for you anytime day or night,” I told her sincerely, hugging her tightly. 

I thought then I was probably being rather presumptuous and craned my head to get a look at Kate’s face. She had a slight smile there and she no longer looked as if she was going to cry. I silently thanked whatever was larger then me for allowing me to say the right thing. 

We sat there then, in comfortable silence. I for one was just taking her in. Breathing her in, memorizing what she smelled like, what it felt like to hold her in my arms. She still had no shirt on after I had ripped it off her and I found myself rubbing her back slowly. After fifteen minutes or around about that I heard a slight…snore! Yes! It was a snore, very soft, very faint, but it was there every so often. Kate had fallen asleep on me! For some reason then emotion completely overwhelmed me and I felt like crying. Here she was asleep in my arms, too cute for words and I thought I might totally lose the plot. It would have been out of pure joy though. 

Then something dreadful happened. I swear I wanted to scream and shout a blue streak of curse words. A fucking cell phone rang! It sure as hell wasn’t mine as I turned the fucker off as soon as I left the police station. God, the police station, seemed like eons ago, but my point is the fucking cell phone rang! Kate’s goddamn cell phone! 

I felt Kate stir and glared daggers at her purse, which lay on the coffee table. I was hoping to make the bastard thing explode, but no such luck! 

I could tell Kate was slightly disoriented and then she looked up at me and smiled. Now, I know this is going to sound completely like drivel, but when she smiled at me, my anger melted away and I wouldn’t have cared what else was going on, all was right with the world. I can’t believe I’d even say that, how mushy and pathetic does that sound?! 

“I should have turned that off,” Kate mumbled, reaching for her purse. Her voice was gravely from her short nap and incredibly sexy. I was turned on again just from her saying a few, innocent words. I had it bad. 

I saw her look at the cell phone screen and groan. 

“God, I don’t need this right now,” she said with annoyance. 

“I’ll go in the bedroom…” I started to offer, but she cut me off. 

“No need,” she replied quickly, placing her hand on my knee to prevent me from getting up. 

I wasn’t going to argue. I did notice however that whoever was on the phone made her become business like again pretty damn fast. The gravely voice was gone, replaced by her normal tone. 

“Tim,” she said, answering the phone with that one word. 

Her voice certainly no longer held any trace of a smile. I was torn between not wanting to hear the conversation and wanting to hear it. I felt like a voyeur by staying, yet that is what Kate told me to do. She had also made quite clear what she wanted between us, but staying just didn’t feel right. 

I tried to get up again and this time she did something that totally took me aback. She sat on me! I couldn’t believe it! 

I don’t know why it was so important I stay. Maybe her way of displaying to me just how serious she was. That she had no intention of hiding anything from me. I almost laughed at the absurdity of the situation. Kate Mulgrew having a not-so-nice conversation on her phone to her soon to be ex-husband while sitting half naked on the lap of her new lesbian lover! I stifled my mirth though, not wanting to be heard by Tim in the background. I needn’t make matters more complicated for Kate then they already were. 

“No, Tim, we’ve discussed this already, at least two dozen times and the outcome is always the same. I don’t want to work this out,” Kate stated, trying to stay calm. 

I was surprised that they really were splitting. When I saw them together on stage today, well, as I had said, Tim was all over her. Gushing about how great she was, blah, blah. I suppose that was his way of trying to keep her. Come to think of it, she didn’t really respond at all to his performance on stage. I suppose at the time all I saw was what my jealously allowed me to see. 

“Where I am is not your concern. I needed to get out for a while, to get away from everything and everyone,” she vehemently told him, “don’t you dare talk to me that way!” She suddenly shouted as her body got about as tense as it could get. 

It was very strange only hearing half the conversation and frankly Tim was starting to really piss me off for upsetting Kate so much. 

“I will not be your wife for much longer!”

Kate then slammed the phone closed and threw it onto the coffee table where it skidded just before sliding off onto the floor. Luckily, or unluckily as the case may be, it didn’t break. 

Kate stood; I could tell she was infuriated. Whatever he had said was so not good. I was going to say something to her when the phone started ringing again. 

‘Fuck’ I thought to myself and at the same time Kate yelled it across the room. She was really pissed. This day was just so not what I had envisioned it to be. 

She stomped across the room to where the phone had fallen on the floor and picked it up. 

“Damn it, Tim, there is no reason to act like this!” 

Now that Kate was on the other side of the room I attempted to stand again. I thought I would have no problem since Kate was not there to hold me down, but I felt slightly tipsy on my feet and sat back down again to get my bearings. I had totally forgotten how much I had drunk. My last drink had only been 90 minutes ago. My brain was not totally muddled, but my coordination was obviously still not the best. I tried standing up slower this time with success. 

I needed some water. A lot of people drank coffee to cure their drunkenness; I drank water. Dilutes the alcohol and prevents dehydration. Something to eat would probably not go astray either, but I didn’t really feel like that right now. I walked to the kitchen and got two glasses of water. I figured Kate would want something to drink sooner or later. 

I noticed Kate had gone silent on the phone now and turned to look at her. The thought ‘I’m going to kill him’ went through my mind concerning Tim when I saw her face. She looked like she had been sucker punched and in someway I was not yet aware of she probably had been. 

“Tim, you don’t want to do this. It won’t be good for you either.” I could tell she was listening to his retort to that. “I still can’t believe you know him…why shouldn’t I believe that!…trust you! Why should I trust you! You just threatened…” He must have cut her off then because she didn’t finish. She was listening again. 

I was by now livid myself. He was threatening Kate and I didn’t care if she was still in love with him and nothing was amiss between them, no one had the right to threaten her. 

“I had already told you what happened, it should come as no surprise to you…does it matter if I’m at her house now?”

Oh shit, was my only thought to that. The implications had yet to sink into my conscious mind. 

“Fine, I’ll see you then.” She finished the conversation this time better then last time and set the cell on the table. 

She then turned to look at me and she started crying again. I was going to kill him. I went to her quickly wrapping her up in my arms, slightly rocking her. Doing everything I could to comfort her. I didn’t say anything to try and make her stop despite that fact that it was killing me. I had the feeling it had been a long, long time since anyone was really there for her and an even longer time since she had let someone be there for her. 

After a few minutes I guided her to the couch and sat down with her, still holding her. I was still fully clothed, including having my leather jacket on, so I took that off and put it around her shoulders. She burrowed into it and snuggled into my arms. Eventually she began to talk. 

“Tim demanded I come home,” she snorted with derision then, “he should know better then to demand anything from me. He knows I’m with you. I had already told him about what happened between us. I felt he deserved the truth, even though it was going to hurt him. Besides that I didn’t want it coming out some other way.” 

Kate took a deep, calming breath then and raked her hand lightly through her hair. 

“He has also threatened to tell my boys about…well, about us.” 

It seemed so odd for me to hear her refer to an “us”. I mean, only this morning there was only myself…at least in my head. I guess for her, maybe there had been an us for a while now. It was an endearing thought, yet at the same time I wondered why she thought I would necessarily be here for her when she came around? And would she even have come around if Rodney hadn’t tried to kill her? 

“He also told me he knows Rodney, the man that tried to kill me,” she explained, looking up at me then as if I might not remember who he was. As if! He was top of my hit list with only Tim underneath him now. Finally the first part of the sentence penetrated my thoughts. 

“He fucking knows Rodney!!!” I shouted, making Kate jump in surprise. I myself had jumped up from the couch and started pacing back and forth. I realized at this point that my drunken state had left me some time ago. Nothing like rage as a cure. 

Kate was looking at me. I don’t know what she was thinking. I was too enraged to read her right now. 

“Tim says he had no idea of what Rodney was going to try to do. Nor did he even know that Rodney knew about us,” she explained to me in a tone I knew was meant to sooth my anger. It wasn’t working. 

“He knew about us! How the fuck did he know about us?” A thought struck me then and sickened me, “oh my god, is that why he tried to kill you? I’ll fucking kill him! And Tim! What the hell is wrong with them!” 

At this point I was looking for something to hit. I didn’t realize I was making Kate uncomfortable. 

I turned around to walk to the large window and Kate stood up from the couch in front of me. 

“Madison, please calm down,” she said, putting her hands on my shoulders, halting my stride. 

If her words didn’t calm me, her touch did. I could tell from looking into her eyes she was concerned at the level of my anger. I slouched onto the couch and leaned back, disgusted with myself. Kate was still standing there watching me. I closed my eyes. 

“I’m sorry Kate. I got a bit carried away. I just can’t stand the thought of you being hurt. And I really can’t stand the thought that Tim knows Rodney and might be involved,” I explained. I sighed and ran my hands through my hair, totally frustrated with my behaviour. Kate didn’t need some enraged lesbian wanting to guard her honour, she needed a friend, and apparently a partner, someone she could depend on. My temper had often got the best of me in situations. I was going to have to learn to reign it in. 

Kate sat down next to me then and took my hand in hers. 

“Don’t apologize. I love the idea that you want to protect me. I really don’t think Tim had anything to do with it though. He’s just not the type.” 

“It’s not just an idea, it’s a reality,” I declared. I ignored the later part of her statement for now, not wanting to get into the fact that she probably didn’t know her husband any better then he knew her. 

She looked at me then and smiled. “You’re very sweet for someone who tries to act as if nothing bothers them.” 

“I could say the same about you.” 

She laughed a deep, throaty laugh then, one that sent chills up and down my spine with excitement. 

“This is going to sound crazy,” she started, “but I don’t want to talk about anymore of this tonight. I know I should work out what I’m going to about all this, but tonight I just want to be Kate Mulgrew, the woman. Not Kate Mulgrew the actress, or the mother, or the wife, or the responsible one; just a woman.” 

Her voice was magnetic. 

“Do you think you could help me forget about everything else for the night?” she asked, putting her hand on the back of my neck, then started rubbing the back of my skull in the most sensual manner. 

I was already fully aroused. It didn’t take much for this woman to get me that way. 

“Yeah, I can do that,” I barely got out, her fingers magic. 

“Good, then take me to your bedroom,” she commanded, in the most sultry voice I had heard her use yet. 

Who was I to argue?


	3. Chapter 3

I felt myself waking up. I fought the process, wanting to stay asleep; I was having the greatest dream in which I had made love to Kate Mulgrew all night long. I never wanted to wake up from this dream. 

Just as I was winning the battle an arm snaked across my waist and a warm, soft body snuggled up against me, their head resting on my shoulder. I froze. I was now instantly awake, my eyes still closed. I carefully opened one eye slightly and saw a head of auburn hair. 

‘Holy shit, it wasn’t a dream’ I thought to myself. Suddenly the events of the last day seemed to fill up my head in a matter of a second. ‘Fuck, this is real, she is real, I have woken up next to Kate Mulgrew in my bed’. I said all these things to myself just because I felt the need to, maybe to reassure myself. 

The next thing that registered for me was that both of us were naked, which of course we would be after making love all night long to each other. God, just thinking of last night was making me wet again. Kate Mulgrew is an amazing lover. To think she had never made love to a woman before me was rather unbelievable considering her skills. She was a bloody natural! 

Lying on my back, my arms spread to either side of me, I pulled one around Kate and she tried to snuggle in further at the contact. I sighed in pure bliss. This was more then I deserved, surely something horrible was going to happen to take her away from me. Someone like me just did not end up with someone like her. A few lyrics from Tal Bachman’s song “She’s So High” ran through my mind and it fit perfectly how I was feeling at the moment. This just seemed so surreal. These things just did not happen to a woman like me, yet it was happening. I could feel a huge grin splitting across my face. 

At that moment the auburn head decided to move, the rest of the body following soon and stretching itself like a beautiful Goddess awakening from her slumber. That is exactly what she is to me. She looked up at me and soon I was caught in the hold of deep pools of blue that lit up when they looked at me, then she smiled that perfect smile. I could feel my grin grow wider if that was possible. 

“Morning”, she breathed out huskily, sleep still colouring her voice. I absolutely loved how she sounded just upon waking. 

“Morning,” I replied, still grinning like a stupid fool. 

“You seem very happy this morning.” 

“Waking up next to you does that to me.” 

Kate then pulled herself the short distance to my lips and captured them with her own, giving me the most passionate, mind numbing good morning kiss I have ever received. 

She pulled back then and looked down at me, her hair falling softly about her face. 

“You really are the sweetest woman I’ve ever met,” she told me, running her hand down my cheek and her thumb over my lips. 

“And you are the most beautiful, intelligent, compassionate, captivating woman I’ve ever met,” I told her, running my hands down her naked back to grab her ass and pull her into another passionate kiss. 

After a few minutes Kate pulled away and groaned. 

“You have no idea how much I would love to stay in bed with you all day, but I have to meet Tim at eleven and it’s already…..shit, I don’t even know what time it is!” she exclaimed. 

She scrambled off the top of me leaving the air to flow over my body. I wanted to protest, but would not be so childish. There was a lot that needed to be done and as much as I wanted to keep her safely in my arms, in my bed, I knew I could not. At least not yet. 

Kate was walking around my bedroom, gloriously nude, looking for a clock. I couldn’t help myself and just lay there staring at her. After a few minutes of searching she stopped and looked at me. 

“Madison, do you not have a clock in your room?” 

I was captivated by her nude form and although I knew she said something to me, it didn’t really register. 

“Madison,” Kate said trying to get my attention. “Madison!”

I blinked out of my trance and looked at her face, noticing she was sporting a slight blush. That is just something I never expected to see, Kate Mulgrew blushing. 

“Sorry Kate, there seems to be this gloriously nude Goddess walking around my bedroom which makes rational thought difficult,” I explained in the most serious voice I could. 

She blushed a deeper shade of red and reached for something to put on. 

“Don’t you dare cover that body up!” I commanded, jumping up off the bed and snatching the garment out of her hand, tossing it back to the floor. 

I laid my hands on her thighs and caressed my way up to her breasts where I manipulated them until I had her back against the wall. Her breath started coming in shorter gasps as I played with them and her eyes were now a deep blue and filled with desire. I began to kiss my way down her neck. 

“Oh god, Madison, how can you do this to me?” she asked, not expecting an answer. “I really need to….”

Her voice trailed off as my mouth sucked her breast in, gently biting her nipple and flicking it with my tongue. I didn’t stay there long even though I wanted to, I continued my journey downwards. 

“Madison, I really need to find out what time it is and….oh fuck,” she groaned as my tongue slipped between her wetness. 

I slid my tongue in and out of her, just tasting and teasing. She now had her hands in my hair; her legs spread farther apart and quietly moaning above me. 

“Do you want me to stop Kate?” I asked devilishly. 

“Don’t you dare!” she responded, speaking those three words more coherently then any others she had tried to utter in the last few minutes. 

I smiled and plunged my tongue inside her causing her to cry out in pleasure and grip my hair tightly in her hands. I quickly set a pace of with my tongue of plunging inside her and licking my way up to her clit and back inside her again. It was sending her mad. I loved every minute. 

“Oh fuck Madison! Fuck, fuck, fuck!” 

I also loved when she swore. She was trying to thrust herself onto me even more and I grabbed her hips and eased them into a movement to match what my mouth and tongue were doing to her. 

“Oh fucking Christ yes!” she groaned at the combined movement. 

I concentrated on her clit for a while, massaging it firmly with my tongue and when she was nearly at the edge I pulled back and plunged inside her again. I did this twice more, which finally made Kate snap. 

“Fuck Madison! You’re going to kill me,” she exclaimed, her voice filled with frustration, yet also with obvious enjoyment. 

I decided to show a little mercy and brought my hand up to use my finger to rub her clit while my tongue explored her now dripping entrance and silky wetness. I wasn’t quite done with my torment though and just as I felt her building up to climax again I pulled my finger and mouth away. 

Kate literally screamed in frustration and grabbed my hair to pull my head back roughly while making eye contact.

“Madison, I am begging you, I need you to take me there, please.” 

And she was begging, her voice was demanding, yet pleading and what words did not convey her eyes did. 

I was done torturing her now anyway, I knew I was being rather sadistic in getting her to this point, but I knew she loved it and I knew she would love the ending. 

I quickly resumed lapping at her juices, which were more than plentiful, my tongue soon manipulating her clit just the way she liked it. Then I brought my hand up and inserted two fingers slowly inside her, letting her feel every inch of them entering her. 

“Ohhhhhh yesssssss,” she moaned out above me. 

Once my fingers were fully inside her I started a slow rhythm moving in and out, my tongue matching the rhythm on her clit, while her hips swayed with them both. Kate was moaning in absolute bliss and I wished like hell I could keep her like this forever. 

Soon I felt her walls start to tighten around my fingers and the rest of her body start to tense up in anticipation. It didn’t take long and she was falling over the edge, screaming out my name and the word fuck a few times. It was a perfect moment in time and I wished I could capture it. 

“I don’t think I can stand up anymore,” Kate rasped out, her voice hoarse from screaming. 

“Then don’t.” I told her, quickly standing up and taking her into my arms where she did indeed collapse onto me. I easily picked her up and laid her on the bed, lying down beside her, caressing her body wherever I could touch it. These caresses were not meant to arouse though, only to comfort. 

“I’ve really got to get up,” Kate sighed after a few more minutes. 

“I know, I should have let you before, I just find you irresistible.” 

“Believe me, I’m not complaining. That is a fabulous way to wake up,” Kate said, smiling. 

“How about I get a shower going for us and you can try to hunt down your clothes?” I offered. 

“Us?” Kate said quirking her eyebrow at me. “I’m not sure that is going to help my cause.” 

“I promise I’ll behave.” I said, trying to figure out how exactly I would behave. 

“If you do I’ll be very disappointed,” Kate retorted. She had that smirk on her face though that told me she really didn’t expect me to behave. At least that was one dilemma out of the way. 

After 45 minutes in the shower in which I brought her to climax three more times and she me twice, we were both now finally getting dressed. 

We were sitting down on the couch, her drinking coffee, me orange juice. 

“God, I’m going to need at least ten cups of this stuff today to get my strength back after all the things you’ve done to me. If I think about how many times I’ve orgasmed in the last 24 hours…jesus, I don’t think I’ve orgasmed that much in last ten years.” 

I nearly spit my juice across the room. Kate was smiling at me. 

“Oh, you’re joking, right.” 

“Actually, I’m serious.” 

Now my jaw dropped and I was openly staring at her in shock. I mean, yes, I had brought her to the pinnacle countless times, but more then in the last ten years of her life!!! Kate was now laughing at me. 

I shut my mouth and resumed drinking my juice, still in shock though now hiding it. 

“You’re adorable, Madison.” 

This made me nearly spit again. 

“I am not adorable!” I stated firmly. 

“Yes, you are.” She replied back as though it were fact and nothing I could say would change her mind about it. She then reached over and gave me a searing kiss which silenced any further protests on my part. 

“Kate, I want to go with you when you meet Tim.” I told her. I had been thinking about this for a while now and was not at all comfortable with her going to meet with him alone. 

“That wouldn’t be a good idea. Tim knows I’m with a woman now, he’s not a stupid man and as soon as he saw you he would know who you were.” 

“He saw me at the station. I’ll just tell him you’ve hired me to protect you. He knows what I did at the convention yesterday, surely it wouldn’t surprise him if I agreed to be your personal bodyguard.” 

“Tim wouldn’t buy that, he knows I’m not the type to have a personal bodyguard. I never have before.” 

“As far as I know no one’s ever tried to kill you before.” 

Kate paled a bit at the thought.

“No, they never have.” 

“I’m coming with you.” I told her. 

“You’re not, I cannot explain to Tim gallivanting around with a woman half my age. The bodyguard story just wouldn’t work, Rodney is locked up.” 

“Okay, this is what’s going to happen. You meet him by yourself, but I’m following you on my bike. I’ll stay totally out of sight, he won’t have a clue I’m even there, you won’t even know I’m there.” I told her, leaving no room for argument this time. 

“I didn’t see your bike when I came over yesterday.” 

“I had left it at my friend’s bar, but I noticed this morning she brought it back. It’s not a problem.” 

Kate stared at me, probably trying to size up how serious I was. 

“Okay.” She agreed. 

Mmmm…that was much simpler then I thought it would be. Which lead me to believe that maybe Kate was just a little bit scared of meeting her husband. She would never let onto that, but I expected much more of a fight then I got from her. I was determined to keep her safe though and I didn’t trust Tim as far as I could throw him. 

Kate told me where she was meeting him, the lobby of the Ritz, the hotel they were staying at. Soon Kate was in her dark green jeep on her way, I was following discreetly on my Ducati. I hadn’t told Kate, but I was also carrying my .357, I was taking absolutely no chances with her life.

Twenty minutes later I was brought my bike to a stop along side a curb a block away from the Ritz and watched as Kate looked for a place to park her jeep. I shut my bike off, dismounted and rummaged around in the bag I had strapped onto the back of the bike. I pulled out my miniature Fuginon MTM binoculars just as a light drizzle of rain started. 

“That’s just fucking brilliant!” I cussed out loud to no one in particular. 

I looked up and noticed about two miles away a rolling grey cloud coming in my direction at quite a pace. Another five minutes and it might be pouring. I didn’t particular care, but it just seemed to add a bit of foreboding to the day. 

I attached the binoculars case to the opposite side of my hip to where the gun was attached and made my way over to the bench in the park. I sat down and raised the binoculars to my eyes just as Kate was getting out of her vehicle. The 25x zoom on these babies enabled me to see Kate as if she were standing in front of me. I could tell by the set of her shoulders she was tense, but she exuded confidence as she walked to the hotel doors. Just before she entered she looked all around her, it looked as though she was looking for something…then it occurred to me that maybe she was looking for me. She finally gave up, sighed, and went inside. 

“Don’t worry, I’m here Kate.” 

A passer-by gave me an odd look and I realized I had spoken out loud. I stared coldly at them and they quickly turned their head back around and continued on there way. 

I watched as Kate walked through the lobby and approached the bar area. Thankfully half the bottom floor was a glass wall and I could easily watch her from my position a block away. 

She looked around for a moment before finding Tim. Once she saw him, I followed her line of sight and watched as him as he saw her. He stood from the table he was seated at and proceeded to look her up and down like she was the main course. I wanted to kill him just for the look in his eyes. I had a feeling Kate was about to find out how little she really knew her soon to be ex-husband. 

Kate’s level of uneasiness went up a notch as Tim looked her up and down. She was wearing black jeans and a dark blue shirt which she wore over a plain white t-shirt. Her shoulder-length hair was down and left to fall freely about her face. It was a change from the more…older styles she had been wearing. She had originally put the ensemble on because of a comment Madison had made, something about black jeans and tight t-shirts, but in hindsight she should have realized wearing it today was not the smartest thing she could have done. She had only been thinking of impressing Madison at the time however. 

Tim motioned to a chair and Kate sat down. A waiter came over immediately and took their orders. Another whiskey for Tim and just water for herself, she didn’t want her brain addled. 

“You look quite stunning Kate, you’re practically glowing. I guess you certainly got what you needed last night,” Tim said, sarcasm and disgust dripping from every word.

Kate levelled one of her glares at him. “I didn’t come here to be ridiculed.” 

“No, you came here to cover up your dirty little secret,” Tim responded bitingly. 

Kate rolled her eyes at him. “I came here to settle things between us.” 

“Settle things,” Tim repeated slowly, “I don’t think things can be settled.” 

Kate just stared at him. What the hell was he talking about…or more to the point not talking about? 

“I don’t want to play games Tim, tell me what it is you want,” she said harshly. 

The waiter chose that moment to reappear and deposit their drinks in front of them. Tim took his and took a long swallow from it. 

“I never expected this behaviour from you Kate. You were always a bit head strong and certainly not the most perfect wife, but this,” Tim gestured towards her with his hands as if that would explain what he was saying. “What I want to shut up the fact that you’re now a lesbian is a very steep price. I thought of just telling your boys, but that wouldn’t be enough. I don’t actually think it would even bother them too much. Going public is the way to really get to you.”

“If you go public, you’ll be humiliated too. The wanna be politician that couldn’t keep his woman. How do you think your supporters would look at you then?” Kate challenged. 

“You forget Kate, I’m the victim here!” Tim said, his voice starting to rise. Her comment about his inability to keep her had gotten to him. 

“Your friend just tried to kill me, Tim. I’m sure your supporters would love to hear that.” 

Kate was starting to get agitated and moving around in her chair, crossing and uncrossing her legs. What she didn’t know was that Madison was watching all of this and slowly moving closer to the hotel, not liking how agitated Kate had suddenly become. 

“He’s not my friend. I barely know him. Though, I knew enough about him from other’s to know that he is a complete homophobe. He was put in juvenile detention when he was 15 for practically beating to death a woman whom he caught kissing another woman. Seems that she was the girlfriend of his best friend at the time. Being a juvie though he got out when he was 18 on good behaviour and his record was expunged. He was still the same man though and when I just happened to let slip that my wife was fucking another woman and planning on leaving me…well, I guess it brought back memories for him.” Tim finished, taking another long swallow of his whiskey and then giving Kate a half crazed smile. 

Kate was in shock and it showed. Her entire body had gone stiff and she was taking extremely shallow breaths. “You had him try to kill me…” she whispered, not wanting to believe it. 

Tim laughed. 

“No, I just told him what was happening between us. He did the rest himself. I must admit I never actually thought he would try to kill you. Scare you, yes. I was hoping that he would scare you enough to stay with me, or at least to leave whatever bitch it is you’re with. I never imagined he would try to kill you at a Star Trek convention though! I mean, he really is crazy to try that! Though, seems he was nearly successful if that woman hadn’t stopped him. I never would have thought it so easy to just go up and fire a gun at someone in a room full of people.” 

Kate didn’t know what to say. She was stunned. She wanted to slap him. Go ballistic on him, scream at him, but drawing attention to herself wasn’t something she enjoyed doing, especially not in a situation like this. She had no idea what she was going to do. She couldn’t believe how little she seemed to know Tim, but then look how little he really knew her, of course it would work both ways! She berated herself for being so blind, she should have listened to Madison. Madison, god, she wished she were here right now, though she knew that would do little good either, at least not for this situation. 

She needed to say something to him though. She glared daggers at him, giving him the level 10 Janeway glare she had perfected.

“Everything is so clear to me now. You’ve used me from the beginning. You came into my life at a time when I was at my worst and you saw an opportunity to turn me into your trophy wife. You’ve paraded me around in front of all your political friends, completely using and marketing me for your own political gain! You bastard,” Kate accused him, having a hard time keeping her voice at an acceptable level. 

“Please Kate, it’s not as if you were objecting at any stage. You seemed more than happy to fulfil that role and up until now you had done so quite well, especially when we were in the spotlight.” 

Kate felt sick. 

“What do you want, Tim?” Kate asked in a flat, emotionless voice. 

“First I want you to come back to the hotel room with me. Then, after that, we’ll talk about the divorce arrangements.”

“Back to the hotel room? What on earth for?”

She had called the hotel on the way over from her cell phone and arranged for them to collect her things from the room while she was meeting with Tim. There was nothing at all she wanted in that room now. 

“You’re still my wife Kate, and I want what every man wants from his wife,” Tim smirked. 

It took Kate all but two seconds to get his meaning and she visibly blanched at the thought. 

“You’ve got to be joking Tim! That is never going to happen again!” she promised him vehemently. 

“Fine, then just let me get out my phone and call the local television stations. They always foam at the mouth to get a chance to “out” a celebrity.” 

Tim reached into his pocket and produced his phone which he started to dial a number on. 

“Wait.” Kate said, her face gone flat now along with her voice. 

Tim pushed end on his phone, looked at Kate and smiled a triumphant smile. 

“Yes?” 

“I’ll pay you. I’ll pay you whatever you want.” 

“You’ll pay me Kate, but it won’t be in dollars,” Tim said, angered that she had tried to buy him. He stood up, grabbed her wrist and yanked her up with him. He did so in such as way as to not attract attention, but he was squeezing Kate’s wrist painfully and she grimaced. “Now don’t make a scene Katie,” Tim hissed in her ear and began walking them both towards the elevators. 

I was now in the hotel and following Tim and Kate. I had already made my way into the hotel a few minutes ago and had been watching them from a few tables away. When Tim grabbed Kate’s wrist and yanked her up it took all of my self control not to go over there and throttle the bastard. 

I watched as Kate struggled to free her wrist from his grasp, but she was getting nowhere. I watched as Tim jabbed the button on the elevator and waited impatiently for it to arrive. I was only ten feet away, behind a small wall. I heard Kate demand Tim let her go and Tim just scoff in response. I heard the elevator bell ding signalling it had arrived. I came around the corner just as Tim shoved Kate into the elevator. I sprinted the distance to the elevator and stopped the doors from closing behind them by putting my foot between the doors. The doors immediately opened when the sensor sensed something between them. I slipped in quickly and pushed the button on the wall to close the doors behind me. 

Kate gaped at me in surprise and shock. Not only for the fact that I had just turned up out of nowhere, but also because I was dripping wet. It had started raining very heavily outside before I had made it into the building. My black t-shirt was soaked through where my leather jacket did not cover me and my blue jeans were stuck to me like another skin. My blonde hair was tied back in a pony tail, but a few strands had come loose and were hanging in front of my face, water dripping from them. 

I could tell Tim was unsure what to think or even do. He still held Kate’s wrist securely, but was looking from her to me and I’m sure it wouldn’t take him long to put the puzzle together. I wasn’t going to give him the time though. I had no patience for slow half-witted males. 

What I did next only took about two seconds. I pushed the stop button on the wall and the elevator came to a jarring halt. I pulled my .357 from it’s holster and shoved Tim against the wall with the gun jabbing into his rib cage. He dropped Kate’s wrist from the shock alone and I heard Kate gasp. 

“Now listen to me asshole!” I spat angrily into his face. “If you ever touch her again I will kill you. If you threaten her again I will kick the shit out of you and if you so much as look at her the wrong way I will make you sorry you did. Are we clear on that?” I growled out at him. 

He just looked at me dumbfounded. I could tell he had never been held at gun point before. Seemed all the bluster and bravado he had 30 seconds ago melted right out of him. 

“I’ll take that as a yes. Now, whatever shit you might be threatening her with, I suggest you stop. Otherwise I will go to the television stations, the papers and every other media source I can think of and tell them all about your little rendezvous with that hooker a few weeks back and the one from last night. I’m sure that will put whatever political aspirations you might hold to a screeching halt. Do we understand each other?” I finished, giving him a jab with the nose of the gun. 

I couldn’t see Kate, I was too busy watching Tim, but I heard her gasp at the mention of hookers. 

“Yes, I understand you,” Tim finally got out. He was extremely pale, didn’t look too well at all. I stepped back, lowered the gun and put it back on my hip. 

I slapped the button on the wall to resume the elevators journey to his room. 

“Kate has left you with some divorce papers to sign. We’re going to go to your room, you’re going to sign them and we’ll be leaving,” I told him. I was not inviting him to comment, just letting him know what I expected to happen. 

We arrived at the 10th floor ten seconds later and I gestured for him to go first. He stepped out and I stepped out behind him not letting him out of my sight. I looked back for Kate and she was also stepping out. I looked at her and smiled, wanting to reassure her. She gave me a tentative smile back. She was clearly in shock at the sudden turn of events. I hoped I wasn’t stepping out of line by taking complete control of the situation. 

Tim slipped his key card into the slot on the door and the door hissed it’s release allowing us into the room. Kate shut the door behind us. 

Tim went to his briefcase and pulled out the divorce papers. He retrieved a pen and started to sign them. 

“Are you…” he started, but I cut him off. 

“It’s doesn’t matter who I am,” I sharply interjected. 

He finished signing the papers and handed them all to me, I handed them to Kate. 

“I’ll say nothing if you say nothing. Just leave Kate alone unless she contacts you,” I warned him. 

“That will never happen.” Kate quickly said, finally speaking. 

I hadn’t known what was said between them before the elevators, but obviously it was enough to make Kate change her opinion of Tim pretty damn fast. 

“What the hell did you say to her?” I snarled at him, moving closer to him. 

“Just let it be, it’s over,” Kate told me, putting her hand on my shoulder, a clear sign she wanted me to leave the situation alone. 

“If I find out you had anything to do with Rodney, you’ll be seeing me again,” I threatened him. 

“Please,” Kate whispered behind me, squeezing my shoulder slightly. 

I watched Tim gulp and knew I had more then likely hit the nail on the head. For now I’d let it go. Kate would tell me when she was ready. 

I turned away from Tim and looked at Kate. 

“Just give me a minute with Tim and we’ll get out of here,” she said, her voice flat. 

“Are you sure…” I started. 

She squeezed my upper arm reassuringly. I inclined my head slightly in acceptance. 

“I’ll be just outside the door if you need me,” I told her and went into the hallway. I didn’t shut the door all the way and kept my foot planted firmly between it, so that if Kate called I’d be right there. 

“I should let her beat the shit out of you Tim, but she doesn’t deserve the grief it would cause her. I can’t believe what you thought you were going to do to me. What you told a psycho about me, knowing full well how unstable they were, what they were capable of. I can’t believe I’ve been married to you all these years and had no idea you were capable of such maliciousness. Capable of sleeping with hookers! Christ I hope you didn’t sleep with them when you were sleeping with me,” Kate said with disgust, “I really hope I never have to see you again,” Kate finished, meaning every word. With those final words she turned and left the room, slamming the door behind her. 

The slamming of the door revibrated down my back as I was leaning against the wall. Kate turned to me and went to take my hand just as Tim came barrelling out of the room and grabbed Kate by the arm, twisting her around to him. 

“Damn it, Kate, this isn’t over!” he shouted at her. 

He’d had it with me now. I swiftly turned and punched him as hard as I could in the face. Again, he let go of Kate’s arm and this time dropped back onto his ass with blood starting to trickle from his nose. He just stared up at me in shock at what I had done. 

“You’re lucky it wasn’t my gun, next time you won’t be so lucky.” I told him, hatred for him in every word. 

I turned back to Kate to see her staring down at Tim, an expression of disgust on her face. She then looked at me and that expression melted away, transforming into one of pure warmth. I gently laid my hand on her back to guide her down the hallway to the elevators, leaving Tim shocked and confused. 

As soon as we were in the elevator Kate threw herself into my arms, burying her head between my neck and shoulder and hugging me tightly. 

I hadn’t known what her reaction to everything was going to be. Part of me was afraid I had over-stepped my bounds, but apparently not. I wrapped her in my arms and kissed the top of her head. 

Kate looked up at me, her eyes filled with un-shed tears. 

“Saving me is becoming a daily occurrence for you,” she told me, smiling lightly. 

“Which I’m more then happy to do, but would rather have no need to,” I responded, caressing her cheek with my hand. 

She took my hand and kissed the palm. “Thank you.” 

The elevator bell dinged that we had arrived at our floor. The change in Kate was amazing. She pulled herself together in a matter of a second and looked completely calm and collected. Her face was unreadable, her body language confident. I had never seen someone pull themselves together so quickly. ‘Must be the acting talent’ I thought to myself. 

We left the hotel and went to Kate’s jeep. She drove me to my bike and we both went back to my place. I changed out of my wet clothes and into some dry ones. 

We both sat down on the couch, Kate with another cup of coffee and myself with a glass of water. We both agreed we needed to talk, so Kate took what was becoming her customary position next to me with my arm wrapped around her shoulders and her snuggling into me. She held my right hand which was starting to bruise from punching Tim. She brought it to her lips and kissed it lightly. Tingles went down my back. 

“So, you really were watching me the whole time?” Kate asked, breaking the silence. 

I lips quirked slightly. “Yeah, I told you I would be,” I answered, giving her a slight squeeze. 

“How’d you know about the hookers?” she asked me, her face showing total distaste. 

“I didn’t,” I admitted, “he just seemed like the type to me, so I tried it, I was right,” I said simply. 

She looked agape at me. 

“You didn’t even know that for a fact? You just bluffed it?!” she exclaimed. 

“I’m sorry if it hurt you Kate, but I needed something to hold over him and I knew if I hit on the right thing, he would be scared enough to admit it without even realizing what he was doing.” 

Kate shook her head. “Actually, it doesn’t hurt at all. It does sicken me.” 

Kate took a drink of her coffee and then continued. 

“I was so shocked when you showed up…and so relieved. I’m so different when I’m with you, Madison. I normally hate people trying to take care of me. Even in a situation where I clearly need help I hate someone coming in and taking over, it makes me feel helpless and weak, but with you it’s so different,” she explained, looking reflective. “With you all I feel is relief and that is just so unlike me.” 

“Are you okay with that?” I asked. 

Kate gave a short laugh. “That’s what really surprises me, not only am I okay with it, I find myself liking it. You challenge everything I’ve ever thought I’ve known about myself and I love that.” 

I was thrilled to hear this and more thrilled when Kate took my head from behind and lowered it to her waiting lips. Every time we kissed it was electric. I felt my head floating, my senses working over-time. No one had ever affected me the way she does. 

She gently pulled away and continued. 

“You were right about Tim on more then just the hookers. I didn’t really know him at all. I’d like to believe that when I married him, I knew him, but sometime over the last few years, we lost whatever it was we may have had. We pulled away from each other without really realizing it because our careers made it so easy to do so.” She stopped for a moment and took a drink of her coffee. 

“Tim told me he wasn’t friends with Rodney, but he did know him. He told Rodney about why he thought our marriage was ending, about my being with a woman. Rodney had a past record for beating a young lesbian girl and Tim admitted he told Rodney hoping that he would set him off and Rodney would scare me into staying with Tim or leaving you. He says he had no idea Rodney would try to kill me. At that point I just wanted to get away from him, so I asked him what he wanted to shut up about you and me. He told me he wanted what every husband wanted from his wife,” she shook her head in disgust, “that’s when he dragged me off to the elevators and you turned up.” 

“I’m going to murder him,” I gritted out between clenched teeth. I was barely keeping my temper in check. Tim not only put Kate’s life in danger, but he was going to bring her back to their room and try to rape her! 

“Madison, please, I just want to put all this behind me and start my new life.” 

Kate could still see the anger seething from me. 

“Nothing happened to me, I’m here and I’m safe. Please, just let it go Madison, for me,” she asked, taking my head in her hands and turning it to look at her. 

I looked into her eyes and my anger melted away. Oh, don’t get me wrong, it was still there, and if I ever saw Tim again I wouldn’t promise what I would or wouldn’t do, but looking into her eyes, I had all I needed right there. I could let the anger go and just be there for her in whatever way she needed. 

I smiled at her. “You know Kate, you’ve changed me too. I have never been able to just look at someone and have my anger subside like it does when I look at you. I think you have much more control over me then you know,” I admitted. It was true. 

“Then we’ve both changed each other for the better,” she responded, smiling at me. She was quiet for a minute before speaking again. “I have a flight out of here at 3:30pm today. I want you to come with me.” 

I was floored. I just sat there, completely stoic. There were a hundred questions floating around in my mind. I wanted to say yes, but it wasn’t that easy. How could she think it could be that easy? We’d only been together for less then two days and she was asking me to….to what? I didn’t really know. I didn’t know where this plane was going, what she wanted.

“Madison?” Kate said my name like a question, putting her hand on my knee, her voice concerned. 

“What exactly are you asking me, Kate?”

“I want you to come to Ohio with me. To stay with me for a while, to get to know each other,” she stopped for a minute and looked pensive, “or you can stay somewhere else if you prefer, you don’t have to stay with me. I’d just like to get to know you better away from all this.” 

“It’s not that easy Kate. I have a job here and…” I trailed off, that was really all I had here. Nothing was stopping me besides that. 

“Can you take some time off?” Kate asked me, hopeful. 

“I don’t have a stash of money somewhere, Kate.” 

“Money isn’t a problem, Madison, you know that.” 

Did I hear right? She’s actually offering to support me! 

“Kate, I can’t let you “keep” me,” Kate cringed slightly at the word, “would you have even approached me here in California if Rodney hadn’t attacked you?” 

I’m not sure where that question came from, but it had been weighing on my mind off and on, as had other differences between us, like money. 

“Once my divorce was settled, I was going to try and find you, but I didn’t even know you lived in California. I didn’t know anything about you, not even your last name! Then I saw you at the convention, saving my life no less, and I knew I had to find you. That’s why I went to the police station. They were willing to just take my statement at the centre, but I wanted to find you.” 

What she said made sense. She didn’t have anyway of knowing how to find me until then.

“I see your point.” I conceded. “Kate, I want this to work between us, I want to try this, but the money issue…” 

She grabbed my hand. “Don’t let that come between us. It’s only money. I’m not offering to “keep” you, just offering to help you until you can find a job in Ohio…” Kate stopped, I didn’t realize why until I fully comprehended what she said. 

Until I find a job in Ohio…that implied I would move to Ohio, to stay. Not just to visit for a couple weeks. Which also implied Kate was very, very serious about us. 

“I just meant…” Kate started. 

“I know what you meant, Kate,” I stopped her, “but what can I offer you? I’m just a bodyguard with not much to my name.” 

“You offer me what no one else ever has in my entire life. Something I didn’t even know I was looking for and something I don’t even have a name for. But if I lost it now, I know I would never be the same,” she said, her words impassioned. 

I looked into her eyes; I saw the sincerity, the warmth and what I would normally describe as love. Neither of us had uttered those words to each other though, so I didn’t really think much about that. 

“Okay,” I said quietly, smiling at her. 

“Okay?” she repeated, wanting to be sure she had heard right. 

I nodded my head. “Okay, I’ll pack some stuff, tell my boss I’m leaving and not sure when I’m coming back, and I’ll go with you.” 

She threw her arms around me, kissed me soundly and smiled at me. 

“Thank you,” she said. 

“No, thank you. I never expected to have this with you Kate. I never expected to fall in love with you.” 

The words were out of my mouth before I could stop them. Hell, I didn’t even really want to stop them. I did love her, I’d loved her since that first night and nothing would ever change that. 

Her eyes opened slightly wider at my admission, but she only smiled and said the words I had only heard in my dreams. 

“I love you too.” 

I laughed; a laugh of pure joy. 

“This is crazy! You hardly know me, I only know of you what I’ve read and seen on TV.” 

Kate laughed too. A deep, throaty laugh I never tired of hearing. 

“I know. Believe me, I’ve thought that myself. I don’t know much about you at all, less then you know about me probably, but I do know how I feel, how you make me feel, and today when I woke up with you, those feelings were only stronger and I know they will only grow stronger everyday I’m with you. I wouldn’t call what we’ve found love at first sight, only because I don’t believe in it, but when I first saw you, there was something unique that clicked between us. Something even then I couldn’t deny and didn’t even try to.” 

“I know, I felt it too. I thought at first it was just my lust for you, what I’ve felt for other actresses, other women, but then that night we had together, it changed everything for me. I’ve never felt that way making love to anyone before. I knew it was love then.” 

We just stared at each other then, soaking in the words of love we were sharing with each other. Kate moved toward me and again kissed me, this time her hands travelling over my body. She pushed me back onto the couch and lay her body down on top of mine, moving her leg between mine. 

I moaned at the contact, then a few seconds later groaned in frustration. 

“What’s wrong?” Kate asked, looking at me. 

I wanted to slam my head against something. 

“It’s 1:30. The flight is at 3:30,” I answered, as if that explained it all. 

“That’s plenty of time,” she responded, grinning seductively. 

I nearly said ‘fuck it’ when I saw that look on her face. 

“If I’m going with you, I need to finish up at work and aren’t you supposed to get to the airport an hour before check-in time?” 

Kate ceased her nibbling on my neck. 

“That’s the great thing about flying first class and being a celebrity, you don’t need to do that.” She sat up and sighed. “You’re right though, you should make whatever arrangements you need to.” 

Kate was pouting. I did a double-take, but yes, I was sure of it, she was pouting. It was one of the most adorable things I had ever seen. I sat up and used my hand to turn her face to mine. 

“Honey, there’s no reason to pout, I promise there will be plenty of time for this later,” I promised her, winking at her. 

“I am not pouting!” she defended immediately. 

I just laughed. She was truly the most complex woman I had ever known. 

“Of course you’re not,” I teased her. She glared at me while I sat there smiling at her. Eventually she broke and started laughing. 

“Okay, maybe I was…just a little,” she admitted. 

I kissed her softly and stood up. “I’ll just take care of some things quickly, it won’t take too long. Do you want to come with me?”

“No, I’ll stay here and organize a few things on my end by phone.” 

“Okay, I’ll see you back here in about an hour then,” I told her, kissing her again before leaving. 

Soon I was flying down the road on the way to close this chapter of my life and begin a new one with Kate. I had the biggest grin plastered across my face under that helmet and nothing could wipe it off. I had some fears about what I was doing, but as long as Kate and I were together, we would overcome anything.


End file.
